Sunday, May 23, 2010

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Frugalicious. That's the "word" hubby used to describe me the other day as I was explaining to him that the chicken we were eating in these chimichangas was more or less free because in preparing the chicken, I also managed to get about 2 quarts of chicken stock out of the deal. If you've ever priced store-bought chicken stock you know that it's not exactly cheap. And making your own is so easy, especially if you cook your whole chicken in the crockpot as I did. Frugalicious and lazylicious. (He's not the only one who can make up words.)

I seasoned a whole (approximately 3 1/2 lbs.) chicken with salt and pepper and put it in the crockpot along with some sliced onions, celery, carrots, a couple of smashed garlic cloves and some fresh herbs. I added 3-4 cups water, slapped on the lid, set the cooker to low and forgot about it for about 8 hours. I came back to chicken falling off the bones, so moist and juicy. There was a little bit of work involved in shredding the chicken and separating skin and bones, but I ended up with about 5 cups of shredded chicken. I saved out two cups for this recipe and froze the rest. I then threw the bones back into the crockpot with the broth, veggies and herbs still present, added another 4 cups of water and cooked it on high for another 3 hours. I strained it, cooled it and defatted it, then froze the very rich and gelatinous stock in a gallon freezer bag for future use. Frugalicious, lazylicious and planaheadalicious. (OK, now I'm just being stupid.)

Puree drained Ro-tel tomatoes and chilies in food processor or blender and pour into medium mixing bowl. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in the shredded chicken and taste, then season with salt and pepper if needed. At this point you can refrigerate the mixture until you're ready to make your chimichangas. We had some unexpected plans pop up on the day that I was planning on making these, so I let this sit in the fridge for two days before using.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cover tortillas with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds to soften.

To build the chimichangas place a handful of cheese on the tortilla and top it with 1/4 of the chicken mixture.

Fold bottom up, then fold in sides.

Continue rolling/wrapping until your chimichanga is secure and looks like this.

Place chimichangas on prepared baking sheet and brush with canola oil. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until deeply golden. Remove from oven and top with your favorite garnishes. We used fat free sour cream, avocado, tomato and chives.

I had to smile as I was reading this because earlier this week I cooked a chicken in the crock pot and then made a big batch of stock... And, I was explaining to my hubby how much money I saved! I wish I had used the chicken to make chimichangas instead of chicken salad, though.

About Me

This is my documentation of my life after turning 50. Lots of recipes, some healthy, some not so much... tossed up with a hefty dose of sarcasm and motherly love.
My email address: maggielauerrdh(at)yahoo.com